Apparatus for wrapping articles

Oct 15, 1940.

E. A. MULLER 2,218,293

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES

Filed Feb. 23, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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ATTORNEYS

Oct. 15, 1940. E. a. muller 2,218,293

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES

Filed Feb. 23, 1939 2.Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR

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ATTORNEYS

Patented Oct. 15, 1940

2,218,293

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,218,293 APPARATUS FOR. WRAPPING ARTICLES Edward A. Muller, Long Island City, N. Y. Application February 23,1939, Serial No. 258,044 3 Claims. (Cl. 93—2)

The present invention relates to improvements in package 'wrapping devices and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for wrapping packages in sheet material, such as Cellophane and the like.

At the present time many different types of products are marketed that are wrapped in thin transparent sheet material, such as Cellophane or the like. The usual means of wrapping these products is by hand in which the product is enveloped in a sheet of material of appropriate size and the end of the sheet gathered together with appropriate means for holding the same in sealed condition. Hand-wrapping such products has been found to be unsatisfactory in that it is difficult to dispose and hold the sheet material about the product in. a manner to present a neat and attractive appearance. A still further disadvantage of the prior art process referred to is that it was also difficult, especially with objects of irregular shape, to properly envelope the object in sheet material preparatory to sealing the edges of such sheet.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus embodying means for receiving the article to be wrapped, said article being disposed in the sheet of wrapping material and after positioning in the machine, is urged downwardly through means attached thereto for causing contactual relation of the wrapper with the article whereby the free edges of the wrapper will be folded over the end of the article for sealing by appropriate sealing means.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a frame adapted to receive the article to be wrapped with flexible means connected to the frame for causing close contact of the wrapper with the article as said article and wrapper are urged within the frame.

One of the more important features of the novel wrapping device according to the present invention is that it comprises relatively few parts, each of which is characterized by simplicity and ruggedness of construction thereby minimizing initial cost of manufacture and rendering unlikely damage other than resultant from ordinary use.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of the application.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the new and improved wrapping device.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3—3 of Figure 1. - 5

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the device illustrating the use of the same.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the device with an. article positioned therein for wrapping.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an article ¹⁰wrapped and sealed by means of the wrapping device, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of ring for use with the device.

Briefly described, the present invention ineludes the use of a substantially rectangularshaped frame having an opening centrally formed in the top wall thereof which is of a size to accommodate the article to be wrapped. Flexible members are supported on the top wall of the 20 frame and extend within the opening, said members being clamped to the frame by means of an annular ring. The flexible members have openings formed substantially centrally thereof which are readily expansible as an article to be 25 wrapped and the wrapper for the same are urged through the frame opening for causing close engagement of the wrapper about the article and holding the same in position while sealing the extended edges of the wrapper in folded relation 30 over the end of the article.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, the wrapping device indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 comprises a substantially rectangular-shaped 35 frame having a top wall ί! supported on end walls 12 secured to said top wall by any desired means. While using the . device, the same is adapted to rest upon a table or other relatively flat surface 25, the end walls (2 being of a 40 heighth to permit the article being wrapped to be disposed through the opening in the frame so that the bottom end of the same will rest upon the table or other surface 25.

An opening ί 3 is formed substantially centrally 45 of the top wall ! 1 the size of which may be varied to accommodate various articles being wrapped which are urged through the opening. In Figure 4 of the drawings the article 14 being wrapped with a thin transparent sheet of material IS, 50 such as Cellophane or the like, is being manually moved through the opening 13, said wrapping material being held in contactual relation with the article by novel means to be hereinafter described. 55

2,218,293

The means for holding the wrapping material in close contact with the article to assure a neat appearance of the wrapped article comprises a pair of members 16 and 17, respectively, fabricated of rubber or similar flexible material, said members being mounted on the top wall 11 of the frame and held thereon by means of a superposed annular ring i 8 secured to the wall i i by fastening means 19. It will be noted that the flexible members 16 and 17 have the central portion thereof disposed above the opening 13 with the lower member i6 having the central portion thereof cut out to form an opening 20 substantially smaller in diameter than the opening 13. During fabrication of the upper flexible member 17, the same is formed with a central opening 21 having a series of slits 22 extending radially therefrom and communicating with said opening to form a multiplicity of fingers 23, which fingers are adapted to grippingly engage the body of the wrapper to cause close contact of the same with the article as said article and wrapper are urged through the respective openings 21, 20 and 13 as more clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. Urging the package and wrapper through said openings causes a stretching of both flexible members with the stretched area of the bottom member 16 providing the additional means for maintaining the fingers 23 in engagement with the wrapper i 5.

The retaining ring 18 may be provided with annularly formed teeth 24 which type of ring is to be employed when using fluted or crinkled wrapping material, it being understood that the crinkled surface of the wrapping material will be engaged by the teeth 24 to further assure close contact of the wrapper with the article.

The method of wrapping articles using the herein described device comprises first placing the article 14 upon the transparent sheet of wrapping material 15, with the article supported substantially centrally thereof. The wrapper and article are then manually urged through the opening i3 formed in the top wall of the frame and while urging the same downwardly the openings 2 i and 28 of the flexible member will become enlarged by expansion of the material causing the fingers 23 to separate and grippingly hold the wrapper in contact with the article. The area surrounding the opening 20 being flat, will in stretching, assist in maintaining the fingers 23 in engagement with the wrapper. The article and wrapper are slowly urged downwardly through the openings until contact is made with the supporting surface 25 of the work table or the like at which time the intermediate portion of the flexible members will have flexed outwardly as indicated at 26 in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings which tends to fold the extended edges 27 of the wrapper over the upper end of the article for application of a seal 28 or other sealing means. In view of the fact that the frame i 0 is relatively light in weight, the same is readily lifted for permitting removal of the wrapped article. It has been found in practice that irregular shaped objects can be efficiently wrapped with a thin sheet material such as Cellophane or the like to present a neat and attractive appearance with the wrapping material in close contact with the article on all surfaces thereof. An article wrapped in accordance with the herein described method and apparatus is illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings.

If desired a retaining ring 29 as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings having a smooth annular surface 30 may be substituted for the toothed 5 retaining ring 18. This type of ring is to be used when wrapping articles of Cellophane or similar material of a non-crinkable nature.

Also it will be understood, of course, by those skilled in the art that variations in the herein- 10 above described device involving the substitution of substantial equivalents for the devices described are intended to be comprehended within the spirit of the present invention and that the Invention is capable of extended application and 15 is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as 20 expressed in the appended claims.